MALATYA. - The demolition of an Armenian Church in a cemetery in Turkey’s Malatya District created a great scandal in Turkey and outside its boundaries, member of the Armenian Union of Malatya (HAYDER) Serdar Boyaci told reporters at a joint press conference consisting of Armenian and Turkish reporters.

As the correspondent of Armenian News-NEWS.am reports from Malatya, Boyaci informed that Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan talked with the Mayor of Malatya, got acquainted with the details of the incident and promised to correct the mistakes.

“The construction of the ‘Final Prayer’ Chapel and the lodge at the entrance to the cemetery cost around 120 thousand lira (around $ 70 thousand) which was acquired by the members of the Armenian Union of Malatya. Later the mayor said that only a part of the building not corresponding to the plan should be removed but the workers allegedly by mistake demolished the whole building. The mayor took responsibility to rebuild the chapel with the funds of the City Hall. On May 24 the new plan was confirmed by the City Hall, the construction will begin at the beginning of June,” Serdar mentioned.

As Armenian News-NEWS.am reported earlier, workers from the city hall dismantled a complex located over a centuries-old Armenian cemetery involving the ‘Final Prayer’ Chapel. After public protest, the city hall agreed to rebuild the complex through its own funds.